This chapter is dedicated to Moonlight19 for her infatuation with TezukaxTezuka. (So thank her if you like this chapter. I would have gone without it because it's WAY too crack-ish.)
Pairings: TezukaxTezuka, AtobexTezuka, EchizenxTezuka...
Chapter 22: Waiting for a Miracle
Inner Taro: That's what I'm doing.
Inner Kin: Aren't we all?
A weight had been lifted from her heart. No, not quite lifted, but shared. Kin tucked in bed, pulled her blanket over her head, and squeezed her eyes shut. Traces of the genius's smile drifted in her vision as she reminisced nostalgically.
A chill blew through the half-opened window, the curtains rippling. Outside, the planets, each shining with their own mysterious beauty, were aligned for a perfect moment.
Although she felt more complete than she had in a long time, there was still something missing. No matter how refreshing Fuji's humor or good will, he was no replacement for her own brother. Still, she was content. Waiting.
Within twenty heartbeats, her older brother reached for the earplugs on his nightstand. Despite the slight vibrations of the walls, the night, complete with open-eyed dreaming koi fish, was utterly picturesque.
Waiting for a miracle.
Like one of those impossible coincidences in the world, her prayers were answered. Soon she would regret ever thinking wishful thoughts.
---
As her consciousness cleared, the first thing that occurred to her mind was how long her legs were. Wow, she really must be growing fast recently. Her bed had also gotten bigger, ironically. How had she not noticed earlier? When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Not only that, but her vision seemed to be a little out of focus.
She rubbed her eyes and stretched out of bed. Her finger flicked on the lights.
A heart-lurching scream could be heard from halfway across the universe, where the machinating deities of the universe were covertly chuckling.
---
"Kunimitsu, wh-what's wrong?" Tezuka Ayana jolted into his room, her heart sick with shock and worry.
"N-nothing," he stuttered. He was just a tad bit out of it, that's all.
'It's a dream. A nightmare. You'll wake up any moment now.' He crisscrossed his fingers and prayed fervently.
'If it's a dream, then why am I here?'
'Aahhh! How'd you get here?'
'I've always-'"You're sweating heavily." His mother came and touched his forehead concernedly to check for a fever. He blinked, amazed.
'I'M TALLER THAN 'KAA-SAN! THIS IS INSANE!'
Seriously, his mind felt a little faint. (Or should 'her' be written?) Footsteps approached the open door.
"What is it this time?" A sleepy Kin appeared at the door with her arms crossed.
For a moment, the air was perfectly still. Then a quivering arm pointed accursedly at Kin.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" A vein appeared on her forehead.
Calmly with indifference, she replied, "I should be asking you that question. We got careless."
"We got careless?! Suddenly, I'm 179 centimeters, have horrible vision, and a freakin' GUY! I'm talking about pickles and testosterone here!"
"I can hear just fine, you know. You don't have to-"
He grabbed her pajamas and waved her around vigorously, as if demanding the answers to the enigmatic mysteries of the world. He nearly knocked out his little sister, only to be stopped from their mother's screams.
"Kunimitsu, what are you doing? You're killing her!" Alarmed, he placed her down and glanced at his hands. Was he really that strong?
'Baka. At this rate, you're going to be stuck in an asylum before dawn.'
"Calm down. It's not like we're going to be stuck like this forever," Kin frowned, recomposing herself.
"F-f-forever...?!"
'Calm down, Kin. It's not like being my brother is hard. I just have to plaster a permanent frown, like a grimacing gargoyle, get used to glasses falling off my nose, say 'yudan sezu ni ikou' every other sentence, and look intimidating.'
'Um, yeah, but you forgot about the tennis part.'
'Yeah, he's playing singles one, isn't he?'
---
Evidently, that had been the first day of the Kanto Tournament.
"IT'S SEISHUN VERSUS HYOTEI?! I'M GOING TO BE PLAYING ATOBE KEIGO??!!"
Suddenly, things had turned for the worst.
---
Once upon a time, there lived a happy little boy named Atobe Keigo. His father was the all-important CEO of one of those secretly-scheming-to-take-over-the-world corporations. His mother was a horrible Mary-Sue who had covertly cheated on her husband, thus producing our beloved king of Gary-Stues. (How else is he the only child? His father must have been sterile, duh.)
Strangely, on the eve of the Kantou tournament, he was jolted awake from a perturbed soul shouting his name in vain. 'How dare those commoners shout my almighty name like it was their own.' This greatly concerned him, yes it did, and plotted to take extreme measures of encouraging his worshippers, spreading his brainwashing and blackmailing his nemeses. However, no matter how hard he shut his eyelids under his face mask, his soul remained restless. There was a heavy foreboding in his chest, signposting that something was very wrong.
---
It was never surprising, after all, since Atobe (being a Gary-Stue) had perfect intuition. Siblings (especially of opposite sex) trading bodies was not simply wrong, it was some cliché, overused anime plotline or impossible sci-fi endeavor. However, in this case, it was neither of those.
It was happening... to Tezuka and Tezuka.
'It's okay, I just have to swing my racket near the ball, that's all. Atobe Keigo won't stand a chance, especially not with a hundred rabid fangirls throwing vegetables at me. But that's all right. Hyotei can beat Seigaku any day before it reaches singles one. Yeah, it's called that cheating brat called Echizen.'
Never in his life had repulsion so suddenly blossomed into worship. His lips curved a millimeter upwards as he stared out across his car window. 'It's nice sitting in the front seat.' He glanced back, flashing a triumphant smirk at Kin, who was clutching her racket in the backseat.
"Imouto-chan..." A vein appeared on her forehead. "What position is Echizen playing?"
"He's on reserve."
'Oh, okay, I may as well commit suicide now and spare the humiliation.'
"I just remembered something! Kin, you have to play against Rikkai Dai today," he slammed his fist on his palm. "You're signed up for singles three."
"Wh-"
"KICK KIRIHARA'S (censored)!"
"KUNIMITSU!" The car jolted alarmingly for a second as her mother's hands jerked the steering wheel involuntarily. To their amazement, she turned into the nearest parking lot and pulled over.
"..."
"Um, 'kaa-san? What's the meaning of this?" Her eyes were fiery orbs of fury while her hair defied gravity by standing on end with a dark red aura. He backed away with fear churning in his stomach.
"I'm not moving until you confess what drugs you've been taking without knowing their irreversible effects?"
"D-d-drugs?" Kin looked mildly amused. Kunimitsu was speechless. 'Actually, you know what? That kind of makes sense. How else would nii-chan be 179 centimeters without steroids or drugs?'
'Don't steroids stunt height?'
'You be quiet.' Suddenly an incontrollable sensation of giggles wracked his body.
"HAHAHAHA! Nii-chan? Steroids? Kiver tumors, kidney tumors, shrunken testicles, baldness and high blood pressure? Oh. God." A sudden memory –certainly not a nostalgic one- rushed to his vision. Suddenly she felt a bit ill at the stomach.
In the backseat, Kin sighed. They were never going to arrive on time, which was a relief. Despite trying to refrain herself, she couldn't help but wonder what a sick imagination her older brother had.
---
'Thank God I got rid of onii-chan. Now all I have to do is sit here and pray for Seigaku to lose.'
The screams of skinny Hyotei cheerleaders blasted his eardrums. Strange. He realized he had such sensitive hearing. After all, he did live with a special hyperactive someone. 'Ah, so that's why he has those stash of earplugs.'
"You seem nervous today, senpai." He nearly jumped as he heard Echizen sneak up from behind.
"N-n-not at all..." His eyes widened deliriously as Echizen's hand trailed down from his shoulder and to his waist. He squeaked, but was silenced by ravenous, abyss-deep hazel eyes.
The prince of tennis tiptoed to the captain's ear. "This is what you get for placing me on reserve." For some reason Tezuka knew he was going to be a bit sore by the end of the day.
---
Tezuka swore he had wetted himself. Testicles were hard to control, after all. How did guys do it? 'Seigaku... won? Chikusho, onii-chan's an even better captain than I imagined. That means I'm next.' He was amazed that he was actually able register the full meaning of that: utter humiliation. Ripping up his reputation into shreds and burning it in an inferno.
"Buchou, what are you waiting for? HIT THE BALL," Echizen reminded.
"Right." He swung the racket as hard as he could and missed a dead ball by only 20 centimeters or so. 'I'm trying.'
"Is your arm injured?" Echizen's voice was soft but firm. "We can stop with warm-up if you want to."
"I'm fine," he snapped, sweat rolling down his face. 'Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. What would onii-chan do if he was me?'
'Uh, he is you.'
'Okay, scratch that. SOMEONE HELP ME...' It took all of his self-control not to rip his hair out of his scalp. (It still took a while to get used to how light his hair was.)
"You're up now, buchou." Fuji's smile was a tad bit concerned and radiating worry. 'Wow, I must really suck.'
'You bet.'
"Hmph," he snorted. "Yudan sezu ni ikou. Let's go!"
---
It was a beautiful crisp day, a day where significant events occurred. The air held a buzz of anticipation as the final match between Seigaku and Hyotei was imminent... the beginning of the end. He was awed by the sheer gravity of the Kantou preliminaries, but what could he have expected? Their opponent was Hyotei Gakuen, the most elite private junior high in the region, maybe all of Japan.
His hands trembled. The tennis grip felt alien in his seemingly elongated fingers. The atmosphere and action flooded him in the alien and uncomfortable body. His sight was a myriad of colors and his hearing a cacophony of cheering. 'I'm losing focus.' He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the extraneous screaming.
"The winner is Hyotei! The loser is Seigaku! KATSU NO WA HYOTEI! MAKERU NO SEIGAKU! The winner is Atobe! The loser is Tezuka! SHO SHA WA ATOBE! MAE SHA W-"
"SHUT THE (censored) UP!" Tezuka's voice rang across the courts, shocking everyone into stunned silence. Even Atobe seemed momentarily bemused by Tezuka's sudden outburst. "Listen up, you spoiled brat." This was no time to be nice. "I, Tezuka Kunimitsu, captain of Seigaku, will crush you."
'Ah, classic. Big words, big words.'
---
Tezuka threw the ball in the air. He swung the racket back and slammed the ball across the court. It hit the net and rolled down for the hundredth time that day. 'Strange. Why is it that I've never served it inside?' Everything was different. He was far taller, had longer reach and a faster sprint. His reflexes reacted at breakneck pace, but it wasn't much use because he had almost no control. He always swung too high or too hard, misjudging his power and angle. Once the ball had done a boomerang snake and hit the referee smack on the forehead. 'Now that requires skill.' His pulse sped up in tension as the ball approached, but the steps he took were too big and the ball zoomed past his ear.
There was no cheering. Only staring. Every two eyes were crowded around this impossible phenomenon, an unbeknownst gift from a higher power.
"Is that really captain? Or has some alien from Mars taken over his body?" Echizen inquired sarcastically. Even a trickle of saliva had fallen from Inui's mouth.
"T-this is illogical," he muttered, rapidly scribbling down information about Atobe.
"Life's illogical, get over it!" Tezuka screamed from the courts in frustration. 'I never knew sensitive ears could be such a pain.'
"Game to Atobe! Five games to love!" Tezuka threw his racket halfway across the court, only for the handle to get stuck between two wires. He walked over and spent a minute wrestling it out. 'I need to do something. Or I'm doomed for eternity. Scratch that, I already am...' There was no time to act like Tezuka Kunimitsu, because Tezuka Kunimitsu could not save him right now. It was the ultimate act of radical desperation.
"Atobe Keigo, I need to speak to you in private," he spoke quietly, mustering his best poker face.
"Speak here. There's no-" Knowing that he would answer like that, Tezuka grabbed Atobe's wrist and pulled him into the locker rooms in a flash. 'Wow, I really am fast.'
"Are you trying to kill me-" Tezuka's hand muffled the rest of his shouts.
"I know your secret." All resistance immediately slackened.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Atobe muttered, his voice wavering.
A ruckus was heard outside the door as the loyal worshippers of Atobe came as his savior. "TEZUKA KUNIMITSU! RELEASE THE ALL-MIGHTY-"
To everyone's surprise, Atobe shouted, "Be quiet!"
The Seigaku captain didn't know what he was doing, but he never did, so he may as well give it a wild guess. "You're an illegitimate child, aren't you? The sole heir to the great Atobe Empire."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The purple-haired president's response came a hesitation too late. His gray, concentrated eyes radiated disbelief and denial.
"For someone who uses such propaganda, you aren't much of a liar."
"For someone who has a poker face, you aren't much of a tennis player."
'Oooohhhh, burn.'
"So, of course you won't mind if this information just happened to leak around the corporations and eventually Hyotei, neh? I can see the title splattered across page three. Maybe then your real father will claim you, hm?" Atobe straightened his collar. He had two choices: his reputation... or his reputation. Revenge would come later.
"What do you want?"
"Here's the plan..."
---
In a show of melodramatic emphasis, Tezuka hit the ball, his arm curving awkwardly. The impact of the ball knocked the racket out of his hand.
"AAAHHHHH! MY ELBOW!" He shed fake tears of remorse, clutching his shoulder.
'Um, you mean shoulder.'
"AAAHHHHH! MY SHOULDER!" With a melodramatic run, all the regulars approached him with compassionate tears running down their eyes.
"Buchou, how could you do this to us? Sacrifice your arm for the team?"
"Does it hurt, Tezuka-senpai? Should I call the medic?"
"You're so admirable. Playing with an injured arm for this long-" 'Tezuka-buchou certainly has a ring to it.' Atobe crossed his arms in embarrassment. Tezuka was soaking in every second of the attention. 'Poor guy. Let his guard down.'
So swiftly the day had passed that the brown-haired captain had not noticed the shadow of a young teenager in the corner, staring intently and amusedly. "So this is the price of getting careless... getting crushed, indeed."
---
The pestering ringing of her alarm clock drove a knife through her senses. Her fingers fumbled until she slammed it silent, dropping to the ground in a mighty crash. She laughed bitterly at the ironic revelation. 'Chikusho, it was just a dream. It was all just a dream.' She could have cried from relief and despair. Still, the sky was so vivid, the voices so calculated, and her body so... uncoordinated.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. Her brother's fat head appeared in the way of her blurred vision. "What happened to your elbow? Or was it your shoulder?"
Those questions struck her as mildly familiar. She realized why. 'It really is the first day of the Kantou tournament. I won't be playing Hyotei this time- it'll be Rikkai Dai. Kuni-nii really will be playing Atobe this time.'
But first, there was something she needed to find out.
"Onii-chan, you have to answer this truthfully from the depths of your heart. Are you gay?" He blinked. Once, twice, a third time. "With Echizen?" He was starting to walk away. She sighed with relief. "Wait, is Atobe Keigo really an illegitimate child?!"
---
My theory is yes. Anyway, the reason I updated is because it's my birthday. If you guess my age correctly, I'll tell you.
Sorry if you don't like this chapter. I want to re-write it, but I don't think I have enough time. It's so crackish that I considered discarding it, and it didn't start that way at the beginning. I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo (look it up if you don't know about it.) So, don't expect many updates next month. I still need to think up of an idea.
The countdown continues: four chapters left until the end. (Yup, it's true.)